Wilson ascends to head coach’s spot at Rocky Mountain

Former Rocky Mountain player and, more recently, assistant coach Jessee Wilson will take over as the Grizzlies’ head football coach this season.

The move comes as former head coach Richard Despain has resigned to take over as the activities coordinator and athletic director at Powell High School. Despain has taught and coached in the Powell schools for more than 20 years and had been the head football coach at Rocky Mountain since 2016.

Wilson’s hiring was finalized Thursday at the meeting of the Bighorn County School District No. 1 board and was announced Monday on the Rocky Mountain football Facebook page:

Wilson and Despain also confirmed the changes Tuesday via email to wyoming-football.com.

Wilson is a 2011 graduate of RMHS and played football at Dickinson State for a year and the University of Wyoming for three years, where he finished his career. He has been an assistant football coach at Rocky Mountain for seven years, the past two as defensive coordinator, and teaches middle school science at Rocky Mountain.

Under Despain, the Grizzlies went 42-23. The 2020 team picked up the program’s first playoff victory since 2000, and the 2021 team reached the Class 1A nine-man championship game. The Grizzlies were playoff semifinalists in both 2020 and 2022; the program is 23-6 the past three years.

His hiring as Powell’s activities coordinator was approved March 21 by the Park County School District No. 1 board of trustees and will begin with the 2023-24 school year.

Statewide, Campbell County, Rock Springs, Evanston, Lander, Glenrock, Guernsey and Saratoga are also searching for a head coach for next season. Meanwhile, Green River and Riverton have hired a new head coach for the 2023 season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick